Have fashion, will travel
Miss Green Genes: Designer rolls eco-friendly fashion across Houston
Green-savvy fashion designer Arica James has already mastered the balance between art and business. The resourceful 20-something takes her Weird-o collection of vintage and recycled clothing and accessories to shoppers, namely college students, who gleefully gobble up her 1980s-era inspired pieces.
James rolls onto college campuses, pops open the trunk of her '99 Red Honda Accord and before long, trend-setting students flock to her mobile shop.
“It’s a college student’s dream,” James said. “My clothes are good for the environment and fashionable. My dream is to have hundreds of boutiques on wheels traveling through the country.”
When she's not taking her clothes on the road, James studies fashion design at Houston Community College and builds upon the sewing knowledge gleaned from her mother who owned African Images, an Austin-based store. James combined her love for the environment, vintage clothing and the 80s and got Weird-o, an eye-popping mix of old interpreted in a new way.
“I use fashion as means of expression and I think it’s OK to be eco-friendly and chic,” James said. She uncovers her inspirations at thrift store and rag mills, warehouses filled with leftover materials that are sold to smaller countries.
All of her materials are recycled, right down to the cardboard labels she uses. James’s bubbly persona doesn’t detract from her passion for recycling and she quickly switches from designer to activist.
“Tons of clothes sit in our landfills every year. Why not take and reuse them so they are something beautiful?” she said. James’ aesthetic veers toward a Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Wanna Have Fun vibe and that seems to be just fine with her.
“I love color and pattern and fashion comes in cycles," James said. "I’m fascinated by recreating fashion.”